With the Michael Jackson sample swimming in the back, Busta rhyming like it’s the golden ‘90s, and Kendrick Lamar spitting bars in an ode to classic hip hop, the message is clear — “Look Over Your Shoulder” is a classic masterpiece.
Nothing gets you grooving like a classic Jackson 5 track. The nostalgia hits different when the chorus of “I’ll Be There” opens up the song, with young Michael belting away “just look over your shoulders, honey.” The mellow piano chords and serenading vocals harmonize with the bass-heavy beat, a combination highly reminiscent of great ‘90s hits. As a result, the track flows like honey, comforting the listener and giving them the opportunity to reminisce.
Listeners get lucky; the song’s lyrics are even smoother than its beat. “My folks unite soon as the flow get nice,” raps Kendrick, speaking on the universality of music and how it should bring people together rather than tear them apart. The message is clear: In a time of division, music is the solution. “When they fuck you over it’s love” preaches the Compton artist, and the tough love of the rap industry becomes justified for the cause of making progress through the music.
Kendrick may be the featured artist, but it becomes clear that this collaboration was a united effort when he passes the mic to Busta.
“The Buddha, the Ali Baba, the believer-er maker” comes in hard and fast, rightfully claiming his mark on the rap scene. The man, the myth, the legend himself has conquered the industry “till the point niggas scared to rap with me.” Busta acknowledges that even though “the game is a little different” now, he’s still able to keep everyone in check and paying attention to his fast-paced rhythm and classic flow.
The theme of growth through adversity also carries flawlessly over to Busta’s verse.
“Upholding the fundamentals ... focus on what's most essential, spit bars to provoke your mental,” Busta delivers verse after verse of pure heat. The rapper reminds listeners of his priorities when it comes to rapping too, showing the listener how he “kept burnin' 'til they anointed me one of the kings of Black history.” That call to action through personal success is precisely what cemented Busta in rap’s hall of fame alongside King Kunta, and what crowned MJ as the king of pop. The one complication to the song’s nostalgia for the king of pop, however, is the series of serious sexual abuse allegations made against him. But the late singer is not profiting from the use of his samples — so the nod to the singer’s musical impact seems less of a cameo and more of an enhancement to the song’s sound.
All in all, the beat selection, the lyricality, the message: Gold. In a triumvirate few could have foreseen, the musical impact of this collaboration is sure to have the industry looking over their shoulders for years.
